VW California T5 ONLY Roof Corrosion - General Discussion

[Stu]

Nice one Graham, thanks for the update and great work

I have some thoughts which I will post in the staffroom discussion for now as we know this is being read by the Führer.

For what it's worth the roof manufacturer is - http://www.polyroof.de/

 

[calikev]

Well done and thanks graham

 

[Martin]

Thank you again Graham and of course Sue

 

[calikev]

Yes sorry thanks also sue for your hard work

 

[Ambler]

Yes many thanks are due from us all, even those like me with newish vans, as the dreaded corrosion gremlin may yet visit us and the 6 year warranty is a comfort.

 

[Silverboat]

Same problem, been ongoing for over a year now Our van (3rs old). The rust is growing, on drivers side only. One of the plastic side things came off also. VW Heritage of Dorchester have been very friendly however We are on our 6th visit and 4th set of photographs to build the case! The last two sets of photographs to gauge the paint depth!?
Nothing has been approved as yet but we are in a long line apparently?? No way of knowing when or where it will be fixed.
I have also noticed a slightly more alarming problem which is the crease appearing half way down the side of the roof on either side. I alerted VW Dorchester who are aware of the problem and read out a party line explaining that is was the users fault because I did not have a a door and blind open when lifting and lowering the roof!!? I asked, which door and what blind and they could not answer me? AS instructed by Carrs of Exeter when we bought the Cali we open and shut we always have the front windows and maybe a door open to allow for the over pressure but knowone seems to know what blind they are suggesting?
The small crease is very visible and is getting worse. I noticed it on a 1 year old van the other day. Very alarming as it looks like it will eventually crack. VW Dorchester did say that some people have had whole roof replaced because of this but I guess thats costing far too much so much easier to blame the customer....
Also had the EGR valve replaced about 5 months ago and to be fair VW Dorchester (Heritage) realised this should not happen on a 3yr old Cali that costs nearly 50k and paid for most of it themselves. Rightly so.
Anyone else seeing the creases? Go and have a look. Stand at the front corner and look along the sides of the roof. Just over half way down you will see a small crease, on both sides!! may need to move around if the sun is reflecting off it. Its there!!
Thanks
Still the best vehicle I ever had and wont be getting rid of it.

 

[Meoncoast]

A big thank you to all those who have now lobbied VW and have secured a written confirmation to cover the roof corrosion on the whole roof will be covered for 6 years. As we do not have corrosion yet and we intend to keep our Cali for as long as practical it gives us some reassurance that when it comes through we will get it repaired. Although I must admit when this issue 1st started coming up I was confident that it would not be a issue as I "thought" had purchased a VW with a 10 year corrosion cover.

 

[Silverboat]

VW said that about the canvas and I told them that I get out half way down and triple check that nothing is caught and due to the new plastic inserts it is vitualy impossible for any canvas to get caught unless there is a strong crosswind or something pushing from the inside. We have never caught the canvass and have no small rips. The creases seem like a design fault and may be caused by over tightening when it pinches down on closing? I think it will only get worse. I see it on all Calis that are over a year old..
Thanks

 

[DavidofHook]

As someone whose van roof is being treated as we speak may I add my thanks to Graham and Sue and for publishing what they have achieved. Compared with many others our experience has been straight forward and hassle free.

 

[ron b]

In response to your recent e-mail requesting an update, our Cali was inspected and photographed in May by the local VW van centre (W.Yorks) and we were told that the claim had been accepted and that VW would be in touch. We have heard nothing since. Should we have received a written acknowledgement ?

The corrosion is to the front panel only, although we are presently awaiting some insurance repairs to the roof and bodywork after a hailstorm in France in mid June put 39 dimples into the paintwork. Ouch !

 

[David Eccles]

and just to clarify what is running in VWBus T4/5+ magazine..the new one just out #28 basically has a statement from the club outlining the facts and story so far and a reply from VW which essentially addresses front panel probs and what is being done / what to do. (basically same VW response at start of this thread)
In #29 my column rear view will update the position to explain the 6 year transferable roof warranty and shows how a group of owners mobilised by an active forum can be a successful pressure group...
I think overall its a good result from VW .... and lets see what happens now about those who are >2007 with the problem...
Well done to those few who took this problem fwd on our behalf...I may be considering selling my Cali but only so as I could buy a new DSG!!!!!

 

[Silverboat]

DSG is the the way ahead. Great for those longet trips and very smooooth.
Can anyone help me out with words of wisdom when I next hit up VW regarding the creases on the sides of my roof. It cant be right.
Thanks Forum.

 

[Hannick]

We took our 2010 California in for a service a month ago. They took photos and said they would report the cauliflower corrosion. We have heard nothing since. So much for a reply within a few days. I guess we will need to ring the dealer (Heritage Bristol) to find out what is going on.

 

[MLADEY]

Thank you for your email requesting an update. My 57 plate Cali was examined and photographed by my local VW Van Center, after a few days I was told my claim was accepted and that I would be contacted by an authorised repair centre in the distant future.
Pictures are on my previous posting.
Once again thanks to the forum for bringing my attention a problem I did not know existed.
Regards
Richard

 

[pgsup]

Hi All
Sorry for late reply about the above.My Cali is 15 Months old have carefully checked the roof and can at present find no indication of corrosion,I will check regularly and keep the forum informed.The area where paint has blistered is on the handle for the door on the back of Cali,this is being replaced under warranty as we speak.
Regards
pgsup

 

[Tadger]

Thanks for the email advising we check our roof.
No signs of any corrosion to date, phew! We have a '63 plate 2014 Cali.

 

[Dolphin]

Hey Everyone.
Thanks for the heads up! I have a 2012 California Berghaus in Reflex Silver and have very slight corrosion on the front panel only. I am beginning the process of dealing with the issue this week and will keep you posted with any developments.
Thanks
Deborah

 

[tom500]

Hello Admin

Thank you for the email last week, I can confirm that this morning whilst washing our VW California we discovered corrosion on:

1. Corrosion to main roof area in 7 places UNDER the rubber seal
2. Corrosion on the front panel on the nearside corner

I once again thank you for your efforts in bringing this to my attention.

Thank you again and I would now like to become a full VIP member.

Thomas Lewis

 

[DavidofHook]

In response to your recent e-mail requesting an update, our Cali was inspected and photographed in May by the local VW van centre (W.Yorks) and we were told that the claim had been accepted and that VW would be in touch. We have heard nothing since. Should we have received a written acknowledgement ?

The corrosion is to the front panel only, although we are presently awaiting some insurance repairs to the roof and bodywork after a hailstorm in France in mid June put 39 dimples into the paintwork. Ouch !

Ron, our experience was similar top yours. I went through Alex at SMG who told us that it would take a long time and i asked him to send sent me an email confirming that it had been referred to VW which he kindly did. This set my mind at rest.
I suggest that you ring VW Customer care. I did this because time was going on, and after a long and helpful discussion with the girl there she sent me an email explaining what they intended to do and how they would be doing it. This again set my mind at rest. Time is not an issue for me , I do not want to sell the van and it was perfectly usable. I had a letter of intent from them.
Dealing with AB Crush has been easy and pleasant. They have provided me with a better van than mine and DSG on request and I am now waiting for my van to be returned from them.
shining like a new pin!
Naughty thought.... will they let me keep their van instead and they can use my van as their replacement vehicle??!!

David

 

[Silverboat]

Can anyone else see the crease lines half way down the side of the plastic roof on the Cali? You might need to stand on tip toes or steps and look down the side of the roof and see if you can see a 1-2 inch crease line? I am very interested to see who else has this. I looked at someone elses in a car park recently and it had them!? :?: :?: :?:

 

[MarkW]

Dear All,

Great work to get the warranty for the main roof extended to 6 years.

A clear demonstration of an organised, coordinated approach reaping rewards.

(I appreciate the fight goes on for the 6+ Cali owners).

As a prospective owner is there any official news/recognition from VW on the corrective action the for the main roof repair and new process on the factory line? (I've seen the unofficial reply from the coachworks company mentioning zinc content of the paint etc).

I appreciate the extended warranty gives some piece of mind but assume the issue will reoccur until the root cause of the issue is addressed?

Is the above still being actively pursued by the club?

 

[Freeley]

Well I rather smugly thought that our cali had escaped the paint problem, but when we were away last month on raising the roof I noticed a bit of paint missing from the rear of the front panel where the seal sits on it.
Also approx a 3 inch mark further along the rear of the panel, although this may just be residue from the seal itself it's hard to tell. In any case I'm peeved about it and assuming the claim is accepted I'll probably be waiting 2 years to get it sorted the way things are looking.
It's going into to Carrs Exeter later this month for servive, mot and control panel replacement so they will inspect and take photos at the same time.

 

[yanathem]

Thank you for your email requesting an update. My 57 plate Cali was examined and photographed by my local VW Van Center, after a few days I was told my claim was accepted and that I would be contacted by an authorised repair centre in the distant future.
Pictures are on my previous posting.
Once again thanks to the forum for bringing my attention a problem I did not know existed.
Regards
Richard

How have you managed to get a 57 plate accepted :?:
The 6 year cut off point is now august 2008

 

[Martin]

We have another 07 plate that has emailed us over the weekend to tell us their claim has also been accepted.

Theirs was submitted on the 5th August.

I have asked for a reponse from VW on this.

 

[yanathem]

What a dilemma, do I kick off with customer services and blow it for those two people or are vw now doing what they should have done in the first place and repair all vans regardless of age :?: